Safety onboard aircraft has been a growing concern in recent years. A particular risk factor on board an aircraft are passengers with doubtful intentions. Therefore, every passenger and every luggage item is searched at the airport for objects considered unsafe. In addition to the ongoing search for weapons or objects that could be used as a weapon, in recent years passengers and their luggage have also been frequently searched for chemical substances or compounds that could be used as explosives. The search for chemical substances is usually performed at airport security when passengers enter the gate area of the airport. A sample is taken from a passenger by wiping a probe across the passenger, the passenger's clothing and/or the passenger's luggage. The sample is then analyzed in a dedicated scanner for remnants of chemical substances that could be part of explosives.
The present invention may be embodied to provide an alternative means and an alternative method for detecting chemical compounds that could be used as explosive or to form explosives and to prevent that such chemical compounds can be used by a passenger with doubtful intentions onboard an aircraft.
In a first aspect the problem is solved by system for detecting low concentrations of specific chemical compounds in the air of an aircraft cabin as specified above, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is adapted to determine a presence of a first chemical compound in the air of an aircraft cabin and transmit data indicative of the determined presence to the processing unit. The processing unit is adapted to process data indicative of the presence of the first chemical compound received from a sensor of the plurality of sensors and to signal a user via the user interface if data indicative of the presence of the first chemical compound has been processed by the processing unit.
In other words the system according to the present invention is provided for detecting low concentrations of selected chemical compounds or substances in the air that circulates through the cabin of an aircraft or into and out of the cabin of the aircraft. In the context of the present invention detecting a specific or selected chemical compound refers to detecting the presence of a chemical compound in the air and to be able to indicate which chemical compound or substance has been detected. This is in contrast to existing smoke detectors which are unspecific with regard to the material that is found in the air circulating through the cabin.
The system is based on an existing cabin management system which comprises amongst others a processing unit and a user interface. Such cabin management systems are widely used in civil aircraft. They are used, for example, to control the cabin lighting and the air conditioning. Further, the cabin management system may, for example, be connected to so-called passenger service units which are frequently installed above the seats in an aircraft. The passenger service units or PSUs can, for example, provide passengers with a reading light, individual ventilation and a button for calling a flight attendant. More advanced PSUs may also provide in-flight entertainment functions and/or oxygen supply in case of a loss in cabin pressure.
The cabin management system comprises a processing unit, for example, a server. The processing unit may be the central processing unit of the cabin management system which also provides additional features such as lighting and air-conditioning control. Such a central processing unit may also be referred to as the director of a cabin management system. However, it is also conceivable that an additional processing unit is provided for providing the functions required by the system according to the present invention. The processing unit may be a microprocessor.
The user interface of the cabin management system may, for example, be a display device in the form of a liquid crystal display with touch control. The user interface could, for example, be formed by the so-called flight attendant panel which provides flight attendants the means for controlling parameters of the cabin management system such as the temperature of the cabin and lighting of the cabin. However, the user interface could also be formed as a remote device such as a tablet. It is also conceivable that the user interface is formed by an array of lamps, e.g., light emitting diodes, which have been labeled such that they can signal the information required by the respective embodiments of the system.
The system further comprises a plurality of sensors. These sensors are connected to the processing unit of the cabin management system for transmitting data from the sensor to the processing unit. In other words, some kind of connection is provided between each sensor and the processing unit such that the data which needs to be transmitted in the system can be transmitted. Data can be transmitted in digital form. However, it is also conceivable that data is transmitted in form of an analog signal from the sensor to the processing unit. The connection between the sensors and the processing unit can, for example, be established using the existing data network of an aircraft cabin which is also used for connecting, for example, the central processing unit of the cabin management system to the PSUs. The data network may, for example, be an Ethernet network. However, it is also possible to use a wireless connection between the sensors and the processing unit or data distribution units of the data network of the aircraft cabin. The network may not only provide data transmission from the sensor to the central processing unit but also in the opposite direction.
Each of the sensors is adapted to determine a presence of a first chemical compound in the air of an aircraft cabin, i.e., the sensor can determine if the air in the aircraft cabin comprises particles of a specific first chemical compound. The chemical compound may, for example, be an explosive or another hazardous material such as an acid. Miniaturized detectors which are able to detect very low concentrations of airborne particulate chemical compounds or chemical compounds in the gas phase are known to the skilled person. They may, for example, be microfluidic devices employing spectroscopic principles. Such devices use, for example, miniaturized CCDs and may operate in the infrared or visible spectrum.
If one of the sensors determines that the first chemical compound is present in the air of the aircraft cabin, corresponding data is transmitted to the processing unit. The sensor may, for example, transmit a digital signal indicating that a first chemical compound was detected. However, it is also possible that the sensor transmits, for example, the raw sensor data and the sensor data is analyzed by the processing unit. For example, the sensor may transmit the result of a spectroscopic analysis of the cabin air to the processing unit. In that case, data would also be transmitted when no presence of a first chemical compound has been detected in the air of the aircraft cabin. However, as long as no presence of a chemical compound has been detected in the air of the aircraft cabin, the data is not indicating a presence of a chemical compound and no data indicative of the presence of a chemical compound is processed by the processing unit.
The processing unit is adapted to process the data received from and transmitted by the sensor which data is indicative of the presence of the first chemical compound. Processing may, for example, involve analyzing received spectroscopic data. However, in other embodiments processing the received data could also mean that the content of the received data is extracted from a received data packet and relayed to the user interface.
The processing unit is further adapted to control the user interface. In particular, the processing unit uses the user interface to signal a user if the data indicating the presence of the first chemical compound has been processed by processing units. In other words, the processing unit warns a user if the first chemical compound was detected by one of the sensor. Signaling may, for example, be done by displaying a message on a display or by lighting an indicator light provided to this end. In an exemplary preferred embodiment signaling does not only include a mere signaling that some kind of a first chemical substance has been detected but also which first chemical substance and by which of the plurality of sensors.
The system according to the present invention advantageously allows the detection of chemical compounds that may be used as explosives not only at the airport security but also inside an aircraft cabin. This may provide additional safety compared to safety provided by airport security control. A particular advantage of a system located in an aircraft cabin is that such a system cannot be skipped and it may also detect explosive chemical compounds that have been manufactured from harmless chemical compounds after security on the airport has been successfully passed. A further advantage of the system according to the present invention is that it uses the existing structure of the cabin management system which may already provide the necessary data network, the processing unit and the user interface. This makes it easy to retrofit a system according to the present invention to existing aircraft. It should be noted that the system may also detect chemical compounds hidden, for example, in luggage or underneath the clothing of a passenger. Even if these compounds are well hidden, minimal amounts of the chemical substance can nevertheless be found in the cabin air. Due to the capability of the sensors to detect very low concentrations of chemical compounds in the air, these minimal amounts can be detected by the sensors used in the system according to the present invention.
In a preferred embodiment each sensor of the plurality of sensors is adapted to determine a presence of a second chemical compound in the air of the aircraft cabin and to transmit data indicative of the determined presence to the processing unit. The processing unit is adapted to process data indicative of the presence of the second chemical compound received from a sensor of the plurality of sensors and to signal a user via the user interface if data indicative of the presence of the first chemical compound and data indicative of the presence of the second chemical compound have been processed by the processing unit.
According to the preferred embodiment the sensor is adapted to determine the presence of multiple chemical compounds in the air and, in particular, of a specific second chemical compound. The sensor could, for example, perform a spectral analysis to determine if a second chemical compound or substance in particulate or gaseous form is present in a low concentration in the air of the aircraft cabin. The exemplary embodiments described with regard to determining the presence of the first chemical compound and transmitting data indicative of the presence of the first chemical compound also apply to the second chemical compound. Further, the data indicating the presence of the second chemical compound may also be processed by the processing unit in a corresponding manner as the data for the first chemical compound. However, it is also possible that the data relating to the presence of the second chemical compound is processed differently.
If the processing unit determines that data indicative of the presence of both the first and the second chemical substance have been processed, a user is signaled via the user interface. For example, a notice may be displayed on an LCD display informing a user that the first and the second chemical compound have been detected by the sensors of the system. In an exemplary embodiment, the first and the second chemical substances may be harmless by themselves but if combined form an explosive. Determining that both chemical compounds have been processed by the processing system may be subject to further restrictions. For example, the system may only notify the user if data indicating the presence of both compounds is signaled during the same flight.
Thus, in the preferred embodiment the system is advantageously able to detect if two components that could be used to form an explosive are brought separately onboard an aircraft where they could be combined by a passenger of doubtful intentions.
In a preferred embodiment the system is adapted to not signal a user via the user interface if only data indicative of the presence of the first or the second chemical compound have been processed by the processing unit. This may be particularly advantageous if the two chemical compounds by themselves are harmless and, for example, common goods that are frequently transported by passengers in their carry-on luggage.
While the previous embodiments have only been described with respect to two chemical compounds, the system may in the same manner be extended to three or more chemical compounds. In this case the sensors would need to be adapted to determine a presence of each of the chemical compounds, transmit corresponding data to the processing unit where the data indicating the presence of each of the compounds would be evaluated. If data indicating the presence of a previously defined set of chemical compounds is processed by the processing unit, the processing unit may signal a user via the user interface that the predefined set off chemical compounds has been detected in the air of the aircraft cabin.
In a preferred embodiment the system comprises at least two sensors. The processing unit is adapted to signal a user via the user interface if data indicative of the presence of the first chemical compound has been transmitted by one of the sensors and data indicative of the presence of the second chemical compound has been transmitted by another one of the sensors.
In other words, the system comprises at least two sensors which are arranged in different locations. If one the sensors detects the presence of the first chemical compounds and another one of the sensors detects another one of the chemical compounds and both sensors transmit corresponding data to the processing unit, the processing unit determines that both substances are onboard an aircraft and, therefore, signals this to a user via the user interface, i.e., a warning is issued to a user. Thereby, advantageously it can be detected if chemical compounds that potentially form an explosive are carried onboard an aircraft by different persons, for example, through different doors.
Once again, while the previous embodiment has been described with regard to two chemical compounds, it can be readily extended to three or more chemical compounds detected by two or more different sensors of the system.
It is further preferred that each sensor of the plurality of sensors is adapted to determine a quantity of the first and/or the second chemical compound in the air of the aircraft cabin and to transmit data indicative of the determined quantity to the processing unit. The processing unit is adapted to process data indicative of the quantity of the first chemical compound and/or the second chemical compound received from a sensor of the plurality of sensors and to signal a user via the user interface only if the determined quantity exceeds a threshold.
In other words, the sensors according to the preferred embodiment not only transmit data corresponding to the presence of the chemical compound in the air but also quantify the amount of the substance that was detected, for example, by transmitting a measure for the concentration of the detected chemical compound in the cabin air. The processing unit evaluates the transmitted quantities and compares them to thresholds stored, for example, in a memory attached to the processing unit and only signals the user if the detected quantity exceeds a predetermined threshold.
Thereby it is possible to prevent signaling of a user if concentrations are detected in the air of the aircraft cabin that are too low as that they could indicate a sufficient amount of one of the chemical compounds to pose a potential thread. For example, if there should be a noise on a sensor with regard to a specific chemical compound, this noise could be considered to avoid false positive alarms.
It is further preferred if the processing unit is adapted to signal a user via the user interface only if the determined quantity of the first chemical compound exceeds a first threshold and the determined quantity of the second chemical compound exceeds a second threshold. Hence, the preferred embodiment ensures that the user is only signaled if both chemical compounds are present in a sufficiently high manner.
In an exemplary preferred embodiment the processing unit comprises a memory with a software for processing data from the first and/or second chemical compound. The software may be updateable such that data relating to different first and/or second chemical compounds may be processed by the processing unit at different times. For example, upon installation the processing unit may only be able to process data relating to a first and a second chemical compound. After some time the software may be updated such that the software may now also be able to process data relating to the presence and/or quantity of a third and/or a fourth chemical compound. Preferably, the sensors are broadband sensors which can detect a presence and/or quantity of a plurality of chemical compounds. Additionally or alternatively, the sensors are preferably controlled by integrated circuits which have an updatable firmware such that the sensors can be provided with a firmware update to determine a presence and/or quantity of a third and/or a fourth chemical compound. These preferred exemplary embodiments have the advantage that the system can be adjusted if different chemical compounds are used as threats.
In a second aspect the problem is solved by an aircraft cabin comprising a system for detecting low concentrations of specific chemical compounds in the air of the aircraft cabin according to any of the preceding embodiments. The aircraft cabin comprises a plurality of doors, wherein adjacent to each door at least one of the sensors of the system is arranged, and/or at least one overhead compartment, wherein at least one of the sensors of the system is arranged inside and/or underneath the at least one overhead compartment, and/or at least one passenger service unit, wherein at least one of the sensors of the system is part of the at least one passenger service unit.
The aircraft cabin according to the present invention shares the advantages of the particular embodiment of the system used therein. The aircraft cabin may comprise a plurality of elements and it is particularly advantageous to locate sensors of the system adjacent to the elements. For example, it is particularly advantageous to locate sensors adjacent to the doors of the aircraft cabin, for example, in the doorframe, to detect if the first and/or the second chemical compound are carried onboard the aircraft.
If the chemical compounds are carried inside the aircraft cabin in a luggage item which is stored in an overhead compartment, it would be particularly useful if one or more sensors were arranged in the overhead compartments. The luggage item will be stored for a considerable amount of time in the overhead compartment before it is taken out for the first time. This increases the probability of detecting the first and/or the second chemical compound in the air of the aircraft cabin.
Further, it may be advantageous to arrange sensors in the PSUs directly overhead the passengers. If a passengers carries the first and/or the second chemical compound in his clothing or directly on his body, the chances of detecting the compounds considerably increases as the passenger sits right underneath a PSU for a considerably amount of time.
In an exemplary preferred embodiment the sensors are installed in ducts of the air conditioning system which ducts are used to remove air from the aircraft cabin. As air is actively ingested into these ducts and there is a constant flow past the sensors, the chances of detecting a compound are particularly high. Further, in another exemplary embodiment at least some of the sensors are installed in the lavatories of the aircraft cabin. This may be particularly useful if an explosive shall be detected that is mixed from one or more chemical compounds inside the aircraft cabin.
Evidently, the sensors can be installed in one or more and also other locations than those described above.
In a preferred embodiment the processing unit of the system is adapted to signal a user via the user interface if data indicative of the presence of the first chemical compound has been transmitted by a sensor located in a first location in the aircraft cabin and data indicative of the presence of the second chemical compound has been transmitted by a sensor located in a second location in the aircraft cabin, wherein the first location is spaced apart from the second location. Hence, advantageously it can be detected if the first and the second chemical compound are carried onboard the aircraft by different persons or stored in different locations.
The first location is preferably located adjacent to a first door of the aircraft cabin and the second location is preferably located adjacent to a second door of the aircraft cabin or the first location is preferably located inside a first overhead compartment and the second location is preferably located inside a second overhead compartment or the first location is preferably a first passenger supply unit and the second location is preferably a second passenger supply unit. It is, for example, also possible to combine different of the above first and second locations.
According to an exemplary aspect the object underlying the present invention is also solved by an aircraft comprising an aircraft cabin according to one of the previously described embodiments. The advantages of the aircraft correspond to the advantages of the aircraft cabin comprised therein.
In another aspect the object underlying the present invention is solved by a method for detecting low concentrations of specific chemical compounds in the air of an aircraft cabin, the method comprising the steps of determining a presence of a first chemical compound in the air of an aircraft cabin, transmitting data indicative of the determined presence to a processing unit of a cabin management system, processing data indicative of the presence of the first chemical compound with the processing unit and signaling to a user via a user interface that data indicative of the presence of the first chemical compound has been processed by the processing unit.
The method preferably additionally comprises the steps of determining a presence of a second chemical compound in the air of the aircraft cabin, transmitting data indicative of the determined presence to the processing unit, processing data indicative of the presence of the second chemical compound with the processing unit and signaling a user via the user interface if data indicative of the presence of the first chemical compound and data indicative of the presence of the second chemical compound have been processed by the processing unit.
It is further preferred that no user is signaled if only data indicative of the presence of the first or the second chemical compound have been processed by the processing unit.
Preferably, the presence of the first chemical compound is determined in a first location in the air of the aircraft cabin and wherein the presence of the second chemical compound is determined in a second location in the air of the aircraft cabin.
In another preferred embodiment of the method determining the presence of the first and/or the second chemical compound includes determining a quantity of the first and/or the second chemical compound in the air of the aircraft cabin, transmitting data indicative of the presence to the processing unit includes transmitting data indicative of the determined quantity to the processing unit, processing the data indicative of the presence of the first chemical compound and/or the second chemical compound with the processing unit includes processing the data indicative of the quantity of the first chemical compound and/or the second chemical compound and a user is only signaled via the user interface if the determined quantity exceeds a threshold.
Furthermore, it is preferred that a user is only signaled via the user interface if the determined quantity of the first chemical compound exceeds a first threshold and the determined quantity of the second chemical compound exceeds a second threshold.
The aspects and advantages described above with regard to the respective embodiments of a system and an aircraft cabin according to the present invention also apply to those embodiments of the method according to the present invention that comprise corresponding features.